Human Croquet: A Novel (Paperback)

by Kate Atkinson (Author) "CALL ME ISOBEL. (IT'S MY NAME.)..." (more)
Key Phrases: baby shop, Malcolm Lovat, Violet Angela, Sir Edward (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Human Croquet is a game in which some people act as hoops while others propel a blindfolded "ball" around the course. Though the game is never actually played in Kate Atkinson's remarkable novel, Human Croquet, the parallels between plot and pastime are undeniable. Atkinson, winner of the 1995 Whitbread Award in Britain, tells the story of Isobel Fairfax and her older brother, Charles. The children's parents vanished when they were young, leaving them to the care of their grandmother, now dead, and their Aunt Vinny. Recently their father has returned with "the Debbie-wife" in tow, and they all live in Arden, the family's ancestral home built on the foundations of the original manor house that burned to the ground in 1605. According to family legend, the first Fairfax took a wife who mysteriously disappeared one day, leaving in her wake a curse on the Fairfax name. More than 300 years later, Fairfax descendants are still struggling with this painful legacy.

Atkinson's novel is obviously not rooted in dull reality. Narrator Isobel has an uncanny knowledge of past and future events; Charles is obsessed with the concept of parallel universes and time travel; and a faery curse hangs over everybody. Fortunately, Kate Atkinson is a masterful writer who manages to keep her world of wonders in check. Human Croquet is no ordinary novel, and readers who venture into the Fairfax universe are in for a magical ride. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This ambitious and unusual novel concerns the nature of time, memory, and, most poignantly, identity. Young Isobel and her brother, Charles, are abandoned by their parents to the loveless care of a sour aunt, stern grandmother, and evil schoolmaster. They spend seven years yearning for the truth about their parents' disappearance and for their mother's return. It is their father, however, who returns?with a new young wife. The home of the protagonists is built on a site where, in the late 16th century, parallel events took place, and the novel warps and wends from past to present to future. British author Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum, St. Martin's, 1995) here focuses on Isobel's 16th year in 1960. Dopplegangers abound; people long-dead manifest themselves to the living. As the fantastic and the mundane combine almost seamlessly, incest, puppy love, and dysfunctional families mix to darkly comic effect. For most fiction collections; get Atkinson's first book, too.?Judith Kicinski, Sarah Lawrence Coll. Lib., Bronxville, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Picador (August 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312186886
• ISBN-13: 978-0312186883
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Reading, May 25, 2002

By	Jeanne Anderson (Swartz Creek, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book after reading Behind the Scenes at the Museum. I really like Kate Atkinsons writing style.

This is a story of much complexity and I couldn't put it down. The story is about a 16 year old girl, Isobel Fairfax and her story is sad, humorous, disturbing and compelling. I was transfixed with genius of the writing. You are taken through the past and present and are never sure what is real and what is not but before the book ends you quickly drawn to the reality of it all.

Finding the truth of what happened to Eliza, Isobels mother, is especially interesting. This book also goes into the world of all the people involved with Isobel. A lot going on here.

It is in much the same style as Fall on Your Knees, by Ann-Marie Macdonald.

Didn't give it 5 stars because I could have probably done without the Shakespeare part, but it was really a gread read!!!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as, if not better than Behind The Scenes., January 31, 2000

By	Daniel (Reading, UK) - See all my reviews

I read Kate Atkinson's first book somewhat reluctantly - "Behind The Scenes At The Museum" - and then read it all through in delight and fascination. If anything, Human Croquet is even better. A tighter narrative, a closer grasp upon the characters in her book, and an incredible wit and talent for characterisation have combined to greatly improve upon Atkinson's style. Behind the Scenes was an awesome debut. Human Croquet is a marvellous book. I fell instantly in love with the characters, even the ones you aren't really sure you're supposed to like, but do anyway (Aunt Vinny is an absolute black delight.). It explores realities and dreamlands, plays around with our expectations and thoughts, and eventually everything falls into place. You MUST re-read this book at least three times. It's the only way you will ever realise just what a superlative work of art it is - complex, deep, and very, very clever....

I have just discovered that Kate Atkinson's next book is out in June! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Anyway... there is so much I could say about this book - it is a devastatingly devious whodunnit, that you don't even realise is a whodunnit until you realise it IS one; it is a extremely funny, barbed and ironic book; it is a character driven piece as well as a plot-driven piece. It is one of my top 10 books of all time. The only other book I can think of that comes even close to Kate Atkinson's style in this book is Jostein Gaarder's "The Solitaire Mystery"

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative, unusual, challenging -- WOW!, October 24, 2000

By	Carol S. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

Kate Atkinson has a quite unusual and creative style of writing. If you like very linear,unambiguous fiction, she is definitely not for you but if you are up for a challenging and extraordinary read, check this, her second novel, out. It's hard to describe "Human Croquet" without sounding unbearably pretentious or giving away too much of the plot. Simply put,"Human Croquet" is the story of Isobel Fairfax, a teenager growing up in northern England in the early 1960s -- but the book goes far beyond the traditional coming-of-age story, with its time-bending, imaginative plot. History is intermingled with the present, dreams with reality, and alternate realities are at war with what's actually happening in Isobel's life. The characters are vivid and real, the writing is funny and witty and fresh, and Isobel's story and voice grip you from the beginning. Thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth the trip.